Not Doing It For Me
by Wicked R
Summary: Cole doesn't want his powers back at the end of ep Sympathy For The Demon


Title: Not Doing It For Me  
Author: Wicked R

Disclaimers: characters and the universe belongs to the WB.  
Rating: PG for the last bit.  
Genre: romance/sickfic.  
Summary/Set: Cole doesn't want his powers back at the end of the  
episode "Sympathy For The Demon", season 5.  
Pairing: Piper/Leo, Cole/Phoebe.  
Note: I am well aware of the fact that I have already written several  
versions of this  
episode.  
Okay, you could say it's  
my second favourite after "Sleuthing With The Enemy", of which I've  
written no other versions of, because I think it's perfect the way it  
is.

Barbas' shriek echoed in the attic, even after his body went up in  
flames. When the ear piercing noise died off and they could look  
around without the bright light temporarily blinding them, they could  
see that Cole fell down onto the ground at the same spot he let his  
energy ball go.

He was slowly moving, trying to push himself up in daze, but wasn't  
very successful. Both Phoebe and Paige went to his aid, helping him  
sit up, but even then, he leaned forward onto his knees, slightly  
frowning.

"What's wrong with him?" Paige asked, a bit concerned that this was  
still her fault, as all the night's events had unfolded themselves  
from her mistake of trying to take Cole's powers away.

Piper opened her eyes wide and slightly shrugged as a response,  
indicating she had no idea and gave Leo a little push forward towards  
the group on the floorboards.

"We saw he got his powers back," the whitelighter stated just as lost  
as the rest of them were, but leaned down nevertheless, touching  
Cole's shoulder.

"All at the one time," the unwell demon mumbled, raising his head  
merely an inch, "it's overwhelming even if you get them one by one."

"Barbas didn't look overwhelmed," Phoebe noted.

"He wanted those powers eagerly, just like I did when I desperately  
wanted out of the wasteland," Cole said with more composure this  
time, "easier to harness them for a reason."

"I'm sure it will come back to you in time," Leo assured, "some rest  
would be beneficial I guess."

Cole nodded and let Leo take his hand once more to transport him to  
his apartment. What he didn't understand was why did the white  
sparkling lights spiral into darkness.

"Are you feeling better?" A continuously guilty Paige orbed into  
Cole's bedroom the next morning.

Cole had in mind to snap at her for invading his privacy properly  
this time, but he found himself too tired to bother, "no. Not  
really," he admitted.

"How so?" She sat down on the arm of an armchair.

"Was exhausted, but couldn't sleep much," Cole gave her the honest  
answer. His head hurt too much for games.

"Did you try to use your powers?" She tried, "I think it helps them  
settle into a pattern."

"I'm feeling physically sick. I can't imagine how taking more energy  
away from me would be an advantage right now."

"Try shapeshifting this chair into."

"How about I'm roughly a hundred years older than you, especially as  
much as using powers is concerned."

"I just wanted to help." Paige stood up, ready to leave, "but no  
one's appreciating the effort."

"Your sisters still mad at you?"

"They are trying to hide it now, but I know they Is that  
what you're doin' normal too?" She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes  
to study his conversation partner, who was busy with holding both his  
palms to his temples, turning to the side, "to do with your powers?"

"More or less," Cole pressed his lips together, working on his  
strategy of how not to throw up in front of the girl. The only thing  
was, if he rushed out, the movement would certainly make his head and  
stomach spin, "why should you care?"

"Was that a less or a more to do with it?"

"Leave me alone," Cole sat up, leaning forward right away for his  
heavy head, hoping that will stop the churning eventually.

"I might not be the best witch, but I'm intending to learn from  
mistakes. Was there something wrong with my potions?"

"No. They were perfect," Cole gave in, seeing the girl would not let  
it lie.

"In that case?"

"Do you remember when you couldn't orb unless you were afraid?"

"Uhm.yes. I can't see the connection."

"I'm sure I could use my powers instinctively in a danger situation  
as well," he took a deep breath, "but right now, my mind can't find  
any use for them, other than disturbing synapses in my brain. There  
is an enormous amount of energy that needs stored in some place, not  
jump about as it wishes."

"I don't understand. You had all of them before. There was no  
problem."

"I don't want them in my head. I don't want them anywhere in fact.  
They are keeping me from Phoebe."

"And if you don't let them settle down into any part of your brain?"

"I don't know. Don't know anyone that happened to before. We are  
talking millions of gigabytes here."

"But you will accept having your powers in the end right? When you  
see sense. Because what else could you do? Energy doesn't disappear,  
it just transforms. We know that goes with magical energy now as  
well."

"Thanks for the encouragement," Cole glanced at her in a reproaching  
way, while he made his way to the toilet slowly and just in time.

Paige raised her eyebrows and started pacing, "you know there's  
nobody suitable to take your burden."

"How about you?" Cole shouted back to her.

"Me?"

"I mean you three," he entered the room and threw himself back on the  
bed right away, "you could divide my powers amongst you. What is it  
you would be afraid of? You are all good right? So not even demonic  
powers could influence you, they would only make you stronger. Powers  
are not good or bad by themselves, it's what you do with them. The  
same choice as you had to make in the first forty eight hours after  
finding out you were a witch. You don't trust me with them, that's  
fine. So how about orbing me some nukes?"

"What?"

"Powerful headache tablets or something to blow my head off. One or  
the other. You choose."

"Did we ever really care what did Elders want?" Phoebe reminded  
them, "me personally I think we should prove we can do it. To the  
Elders, to ourselves and to Cole as well."

"I'm confused," Paige admitted, "didn't demonic powers make you  
become evil and the queen of the underworld?"

"Not really. It was my love for Cole that did that."

"Phoebe's right," Piper nodded, "powers in themselves are just that,  
powers. But given how hard it was for me to control not blowing  
everything up when I found out I had that possibility, I don't think  
we should take all his powers at the one time, even if he would want  
to keep being able to blur and his balls. Energy balls," she added to  
Phoebe's questioning look, "cause his balls is what you want to keep  
with all this action."

"Did cross my mind that it would be like going back to the time when  
he was Belthazor," Phoebe gave in to the x ray looks her sisters gave  
her.

"Apart from the minuscule detail that we would be ten times more  
powerful than what we are now," Paige sounded disappointed, "the way  
I enjoy the witch business nowadays, this would also be similar to  
not having powers at all. Cause once the demons find out about this,  
nobody will cross us for an eternity."

"But we could go after them," Piper assured her, "I say we do it. The  
only thing would be to figure out the practicalities of the issue. He  
drinks the potion, but we need a spell to divide the energy in a way  
we know what's what and what we are giving to who, and bind certain  
powers to go back to him for a later taking. First of all, we need a  
list of his powers. Phoebe, could you talk to him?"

The middle aged, but cherub like creature they entrusted with the  
temporary care of Cole just because she showed up exactly the right  
time to apply for the child minder job that was advertised by Leo and  
Piper, but had the qualifications of a nurse, was shutting the  
balcony doors of the penthouse, "the noise bothers him," she  
explained to Phoebe who stopped in the living room to get used to the  
quiet darkness that characterised the apartment.

"What noise?" The witch shook her head a tad. The peaceful atmosphere  
had always been one of the pluses of the place, in fact it was the  
first important factor in why she had once decided to stay there with  
Cole on the top of a tall apartment building where the loud life of  
the city seemed as distant as if they were living in the country.

The magical creature pointed to a single little pigeon, probably  
calling for its partner as she found some seeds on the barrier. Cole  
must've put it there for them, when he was well enough to do such a  
thing.

"How is he?" Phoebe continued in whisper, glancing towards the  
bedroom.

"I gave him over the maximum human doze of morphine, I'm not sure how  
much can I securely give. But believe he can endure the torture  
indefinitely, but as somebody who works in accordance with the rules  
of Hypocrates, I would like you to perform whatever magic trick it  
takes, as soon as possible."

"Thank you. He is awake, isn't he? I can speak to him without  
disturbing him too much."

"Awake? All the time. He can't sleep with that pain and the  
medication is affecting him differently too. Antiemetics don't work  
either. His system is rejecting the new powers. And could I suggest  
applying some water to his forehead and massaging his temples? If you  
stay any longer than I few minutes I can not resume that activity. He  
will find it unbearable without that."

Phoebe suddenly felt her insides shudder. She wasn't aware of the  
severity of his condition. She turned to their once common bedroom  
with dread, not wanting to add to his suffering. But the sooner she  
talked to him, the quicker they could assume his powers. She inched  
in, not really wanting to see what awaited her. She replaced the rag  
on Cole's head with a cooler one studying his closed eyes and the  
worn, painful expression on his face in the moonlight. Given his pale  
features, he could've been a vampire just before rising. She wondered  
how she would let him know she was there when he winced every time  
the sound of the wind blowing a little bit harder made its way into  
their ear shot range. They used to greet each other with vehemence,  
either jumping into each other's arms, or having a try at a magical  
attack. Of course, neither of those ways was appropriate just now.  
But she didn't have to do anything.

Without opening an eye, Cole reached for her hand, knowing where  
exactly it was. He mouthed her name silently, his features taking a  
somewhat more relaxed expression.

Phoebe squeezed his hand lightly, "we decided for it," she told him  
quietly, "what other powers you have we don't know about?" She  
continued when she saw he calmed a little bit more at the news.

"Ask Darryl."

"We did. Anything else?"

"Wishing you away."

"What?"

"Power. I could shimmer you anywhere, any dimension without myself  
going there. But I can dimension hop as well myself. That's how I got  
out of the wasteland. And there would be the power of." he stopped,  
giving a hardly audible grunt and pushing himself hard arching back  
on the bed and gripping her hand harder.

Phoebe panicked, jumping a couple of steps up along the bed to follow  
the mythological nurse's further instructions. Seconds seemed like  
minutes, "Paige!" She ordered her sister there, while she frantically  
continued with the massage, no matter how much the treatment didn't  
seem to work, "why does it matter what other powers does he have?  
Let's do it with the others right away."

Cole formed an energy ball suspiciously while noting with complete  
awe the scenery around him. Being suddenly shimmered away by an  
unseen entity in the middle of writing your third deposition the same  
day at your office didn't usually mean anything positive, but what  
sinister force would transport him on top of some rosy cloud that had  
the manor floating on top of it, "Phoebe?" He asked questioning his  
own sanity.

"Yes," Phoebe appeared herself right in front of him, scanning the  
surroundings in a similar way he had a few seconds before, "I thought  
your personal heaven will have something to do with me, but this is a  
bit much."

"What are you talking about? Where are we?" Cole had suspected that  
all this had something to do with Phoebe inheriting his power of  
wishing him away, but wasn't quite clear on the dimension she wished  
them to and why.

"Heaven. Personalised for everyone. Because everybody is different  
and paradise might not suit all people. I wanted to show you were you  
will get when you get vanquished the next time. I mean, if you make  
some amends, but you are on the right way."

"You really think I can get.here?"

"Yes."

"So we are.?"

"Absolutely."

"Can I show you my remaining power then?" Cole said  
enthusiastically, "you know the one you don't know about because I  
was too unwell to tell you about it before you gave me the dividing  
potion," he grinned, holding out a hand to Phoebe.

When their fingers touched, she felt a sensation down there, as if  
her most intimate part was rubbed by him and not the top of her  
thumb. What was happening overpowered her senses, she couldn't hear,  
she couldn't talk, she couldn't move, but slide into his arms, "what  
was that?" She whispered once she could.

"My ability to arouse anyone sexually by simply looking at them."

"Why didn't you use it before?"

"I wanted to make love to you, not have sex.but it's a cool power,  
huh? Like it?"

"Very much. Can we like continue in bed? Want you to repeat  
performance."

"See? This power was something I would've wanted to keep anyway," he  
held on to her tight while she wished them back to the real manor's  
privacy.

The End.


End file.
